informing the Court of their proceedings they found it necessary
to adjourn their meetings till he should be able to attend them again
But in regard by an act made in the twelfth year of the Reign of
Queen Anne and other precedent acts no trophy Money can be raise
untill the accounts of the last year have been examined and certified
audit may be necessary to raise more to enable the Militia to marsh
in case their should be occasion for their so doing in this time of Danger
your Committee (who have the security of his Maty and his Governmt
(most sincerely at heart) thought it became them to lay before you
what has occurr'd to them (imperfect as it is) rather than by any
delay of theirs to give on their part any the least occasion of complaint

As to the first part of their instructions to enquire what sums
have been raised your Committee beg leave to observe that it appears
to them that the Sum to be raised by Law upon the whole County in
one year is £368:15:2: That the Board of Lieutenancy do as the
see convenient issue their warrants to certain persons in each
parish to assess upon the inhabitants in their several parishes their
ratable proportion of the said Sum according to the annext rate, [..]
Books of which assessment fairly written exactly cast up and sign'd
by the said assessors together with the names of two or more fit
persons to be Collectors thereof they are to bring unto them at their
Board, That upon receipt of these warrants the said assessord do
arbitrarily assess great Sums of money (in some parishes more than
double what the warrants do require) and do carry back two boots
of such their unwarrantable assessments to the Board of
Lieutenancy not cast up the better to deceive to one of which Books
the Board of Lieutenancy without directing the same to be cast up
cause warrants under the [..] hands and Seals of three or more of them
to be annexed by pinning only (whereby it is in the power of the
Collectors to annex them to any other books they shall think fit) and
by such warrants do require and command the Collectors speedily to
collect and gather the several Sums of money taxed and set upon
every person within written, thereby establishing the inequity of the
assessors as it were by Law, As by the annext blank warrants may
appear; Your Committee upon this occasion thought it necessary to
sumon before them the several assessors and Collectors to examine
them upon the promises. But in regard their meetings were in time